Links for Further Information

This is not an exhaustive list. We need more information, especially about local resources in Alaska, Idaho, and Oregon. Please help us get more local information. Some information is repeated because it fits in several categories.

FURTHER INFORMATION

CHURCH & INTERFAITH CONNECTIONS

We Welcome Immigrants – UMC of the Greater NorthwestFacebook group for organizing the people called United Methodist in the three conferences of the Greater Northwest Episcopal Area in the ministry of being a church of welcome, dignity and justice with immigrants and refugees, and also working / advocating for changes in actions, policies, and laws to create communities, states and a United States which welcomes immigrants and refugees.

MARCHA: Methodists Representing the Cause of Hispanic Americans or Metodistas Representando la Causa Hispano-Americano is a caucus within the United Methodist Church. They have gathered resources: Movimiento Sanctuario, recursos

Justice for Our Neighbors (JFON) United Methodists organizing legal support for immigrants. Currently, the Seven Rivers District and the First UMC of Ellensburg are working on establishing the first JFON legal clinic in the Northwest, with hopes that more will follow.

Sanctuary MovementThis national coordinating group for the new sanctuary movement has many resources.

Immigration Raids Rapid Response: For Faith Allies

Petition on Sanctuary

Links to other Sanctuary Churches

Vigil Resources

Reports of specific cases

Many resources for churches

United Methodist General Board of Church and Societyhas a variety of resources and coordinates to help churches organize around the rights of immigrants and refugees. They coordinate a Rapid Response Team network spread through the conferences of the UMC in the United States.

United Methodist Women: Global Migration and Immigration RightsA large number of materials and links to resource United Methodist Women (and others) in loving the immigrant and the refugee. United Methodist Women have often led the church in welcoming refugees and immigrants as well as advocating for their rights.

Church World Service: Protect, Welcome, Restore Hopeis a movement organizing for churches welcoming refugees. There are excellent materials for connecting with refugees, learning about refugees, and advocating for more welcoming laws.

Interfaith Immigration Coalition is an organizing body for church and interfaith groups working for justice and welcome for immigrants. The resources include action alerts for advocacy, toolkits for organizing and welcoming local work, and liturgical materials. IIC Twitter Account.

The Church Council of Greater Seattleis organizing networks with hub churches as a way to support undocumented immigrants, encourage communities of safety and prepare for possible ICE raids as connected communities.

Faith Action Networkis a interfaith network for advocacy in Washington State by faith groups for the common good including immigrants, Muslims and other vulnerable populations.

Tacoma Community HouseLocated in Tacoma, Washington, this service agency was established to work with immigrants by United Methodist Women and continues to do so, though the nationalities and languages of the persons served have changed through the decades.

American Friends Service Committee: Sanctuary Everywhere with resources for sanctuary in congregations, schools and community. They aso have excellent resources for defending immigrant rights, fighting Islamophobia, and working to end mass incarceration.Return to the top

NATIONAL SECULAR ORGANIZATIONS

National Day Laborer Organizing Networkhas been working across the United States to support immigrants, recognizing that many new and undocumented immigrants work as day laborers. They have often partnered on advocacy with the The United Methodist Task Force on Immigration. Their web site is available inEnglishandSpanish and has has information on migrant rights, videos and some great posters.

United We Dream is an organization of, by and for undocumented immigrant youth working for justice. Their web site includes:

American Civil Liberties Union: Information on Know Your Rights in various languages and various situations, immigrants, Muslims, LGBT persons, reproductive rights, and more. Information is available in videos and in written descriptions as well as some free down-loadable resources and other resources are for sale.

Detention Watch Network collects information on and works against the mass detention of immigrants, particular focusing on the privatization of detention centers, where corporations build wealth through the incarceration of immigrants.

American Immigration Council: laws, policies, and attitudes that honor our proud history as a nation of immigrants. Through research and policy analysis, litigation and communications, and international exchange, the Council seeks to shape a twenty-first century vision of the American immigrant experience. This is a good source for information on government policy and its affects. Check out their Fact Sheets.

National Immigration Law Center: one of the few national US organizations exclusively dedicated to defending and advancing the rights of immigrants with low income through litigation, policy analysis and communication. This is a good source of up-to-date news an analysis.

Oregon Law Center assists low income people with issues related to work, housing, benefits, family law, farm worker law and has special services for those speaking indigenous languages from Mexico and Guatemala. While not working specifically on immigration law, they are a resource that serves many immigrants on other legal issues in their lives.

Refugee Resettlement Office of the Episcopal Migration Ministries and the Episcopal Diocese of Olympia has resources, information for being in solidarity with refugees and for helping settle new refugees in the Seattle area.

Tacoma Detention Center– ICE – the Immigration and Customs Enforcement Detention Center in Tacoma, Washington, is the facility which used to warehouse immigrants that it wants contained. This is not a center for welcoming immigrants, but those of us working to welcome immigrants need to know how to access detainees.

City of Seattle Office of Immigrant and Refugee AffairsThe City of Seattle connects a variety of information and connections in this office: resources for refugees, citizenship workshops, Welcoming City, Cities of Action for immigrants, demographic data, and languages information.

GOVERNMENT OFFICES & AGENCIES

US Government and Immigration:

US Department of Homeland Security is the US governmental agency which includes work against terrorism, cyber security, resources for those who want to visit or immigrate to the US (USCIS see below), and enforcement of immigration law (ICE-see below)

FAQs regarding immigration enforcement in relationship to churches and other “sensitive locations.”

Contacting Elected Officials:This web site provides information on how to locate and contact local, state and national elected officials. National phone numbers:

White House Comments Line: 202-456-1111

Congressional Switchboard: 202-224-3121 to speak with the offices of your senators and congressional representative. They will help you locate who are your senators and your representative if you do not know.

VIDEOS

Jasmine’s Story:a 12 minute story of a United Methodist Church and a teenage girl left alone in the US when her parents were targeted by Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Free from ReThink Church/Immigration.

Arizona: State of Fear: A documentary about immigrants in Arizona which includes conversation with United Methodist Bishop Minerva Carcaño. Regional Media Center (PNW Office)

Divided We Fall: A documentary film made by a young American woman of the Sikh faith who travels across the United States after September 11, 2011 to try to understand hate crimes and what it is to be American. This has to be purchased.

The Visitor: Tells the story of a surprise encounter and relationship between a grieving professor and two young immigrants. Commercially available. Rotten Tomatoes Review

The Kite Runner: Follows the lives of a family fleeing war in their home country. Commercially available. Rotten Tomatoes Review

A Day Without a Mexican:An R rated comedy. California wakes up to a day in which 1/3 of the population have disappeared and it turns out that the disappeared are of Hispanic/Latino backgrounds. Commercially available.A Day Without a Mexican Movie Page